Huskies’ Hardy Cup dreams fall 29-4 in Calgary

Josiah Joseph, left, ran in two touchdowns for the Dinos.

    Chalk this one up as a learning experience for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team.

    One turning point was likely the moment that did in the Huskies in the Canada West Championship game – the Hardy Cup – on Saturday in Calgary, Alta.

    The Huskies, who came into the game as the defending Hardy Cup champions, found themselves behind the host University of Calgary Dinos 4-1 with one second remaining in the first half. The visitors faced a third and goal from the Dinos two yard line.

    In what had been a haphazard first half that included both sides committing key turnovers, the Huskies could have hit a chip shot field goal and gone in at halftime even up at 4-4 despite all the miscues.

    Instead, the Huskies elected to gamble and go for a touchdown and the lead. Quarterback Mason Nyhus threw a pass into the end zone attended for receiver Sam Baker but the pass fell incomplete as a penalty flag flew.

Mason Nyhus passed for 240 yards on Saturday for the Huskies.

    It appeared the Dinos were going to be called for pass interference. The officials picked up the flag saying Nyhus’s pass wasn’t catchable causing the Huskies to head into the dressing room down 4-1.

    From that point, it felt like the Huskies were trying to chase the contest for the whole second half.

    Thanks to being behind, the Huskies elected to receive the second half kickoff as the spectre of snowy conditions hung over the game. The Dinos elected to get the wind advantage for the fourth quarter, but before that frame came around, the host side’s offence found traction.

    With 9:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, Dinos star quarterback Adam Sinagra hit second-year receiver Tyson Philpot with a 30-yard touchdown pass to complete a 96-yard scoring drive giving the host an 11-1 advantage.

    Sinagra was injured on that scoring play, but it felt like the Huskies were sinking in quick sand.

    Dinos standout kicker Niko DiFonte kicked a single on the ensuing kickoff to put the Dinos up 12-1.

Jesse Kuntz caught six passes for 125 yards for the Huskies.

    From there, the Dinos sailed off to a 29-4 victory before 1,263 spectators at McMahon Stadium. The Dinos were appearing in the Hardy Cup for the 12^th straight year and were claiming the conference title for the ninth time over that span of time.

    U of C will keep pursuing an elusive U Sports title that keeps escaping its grasp gunning to make the Vanier Cup and win it. The Dinos last won the Vanier Cup back in 1995.

    The Dinos, who improved to 8-2 overall, will first host a U Sports semifinal in the Mitchell Bowl on Saturday, November 16, against the Ontario University Athletics champion University of McMaster Marauders (8-2 overall).

    The Marauders captured the OUA title on Saturday traveling to London, Ont., and upsetting the host University of Western Ontario Mustangs 29-15. The Mustangs were undefeated heading into Saturday’s action, but finished the 2019 U Sports campaign with a 9-1 overall mark.

    In Canada West, the Huskies finished with a 6-4 overall record that included posting a 5-3 mark during the regular season.

Adam Machart ran the ball 16 times for 112 yards on Saturday.

    During the Canada West title game, the Huskies found themselves behind the eight ball due to their own errors.

    They exited the first quarter trailing the Dinos 2-0 after conceding a safety, when kicker/punter David Solie had to boot the ball through his own end zone after a bad snap.

    With 10:07 remaining in the second quarter, the Huskies had to concede another safety to fall back 4-0, when Nyhus had to boot the ball through the end zone after an errant shotgun snap on offence.

    The Huskies got on the scoreboard with 5:20 remaining on the second quarter on a missed field goal single from 29-yards out by Solie, who was kicking into the wind. The single cut the Dinos edge to 4-1.

    That set the stage for the dramatics right before halftime. At halftime, the Huskies had outgained the Dinos in gross offence 235 to 192.

    After the Dinos assumed their 12-1 lead, Solie hit a field goal from 28-yards out with 4:07 remaining in the third quarter to cut the U of C edge to 12-4. That was as close as the Huskies would get.

Adam Sinagra, left, threw the Dinos only TD pass on Saturday.

    Dinos backup quarterback Josiah Joseph ran in a touchdown from a yard out on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the hosts up 19-4.

    DiFonte hit a field goal from 37 yards out and Joseph ran in another major from a yard out with seven seconds remaining in the frame to round out the scoring for the Dinos.

    Nyhus completed 18-of-29 passes for 240 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Calgary product Jesse Kuntz led the Huskies in receiving hauling in six passes for 125 yards.

    Star running back Adam Machart carried the ball 16 times for 112 yards to top the Huskies in rushing. He also caught seven passes for 43 yards.

    Sinagra connected on 11-of-17 passes for 197 yards for one touchdown and one interception. He ran the ball six times for 50 yards.

    Joseph hit on 9-of-10 passes for 95 yards and ran the ball eight times for 26 yards to go with his two scores on the ground.

Ben Whiting had nine total tackles for the Huskies.

    Jalen Philpot topped the Dinos in receiving catching six passes for 91 yards. First-year running back Robinson Rodrigues carried the ball 18 times for 92 yards to lead the Dinos in rushing.

    Fifth-year linebacker Ben Whiting led the Huskies with nine total tackles and one sack. Star rookie linebacker Ramsey Derbas was second on the team with seven tackles.

    Defensive end Nicholas Dheilly had a sack and an interception, while defensive end Nathan Cherry had a single sack.

    Linebacker Grant McDonald led the Dinos with 11 total tackles, and he had one sack. Max Baatar and Tyrese Best had single sacks for the Dinos, while Charlie Moore had an interception.

    Saturday’s post-season loss brought an end to the careers of Huskies fifth-year players in Whiting, Payton Hall, Eric Thakurdeen, Evan Machibroda, Andrew Serke and Tanner Secord.

    A year ago, those six helped the Huskies win their first playoff game since 2009 and Canada West title since 2006. The Huskies downed the Dinos 43-18 in last year’s Canada West championship game in Calgary.

Robinson Rodrigues carried the ball 18 times for 92 yards for the Dinos.

    U of S proceeded to fall in the Mitchell Bowl 47-24 to the Mustangs in London, Ont., bringing the Dogs run in 2018 post-season to an end.

    The Huskies had lost eight straight U Sports post-season games heading into the 2018 playoffs. That included missing the playoffs entirely in 2017.

    During the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, the Huskies have won three post-season games.

At the moment, the Dinos are still the team that have a habit of consistently winning conference titles and making long post-season runs.

    The Huskies are a step closer to becoming a squad that could potentially makes those runs on a consistent basis.

The Huskies saw their 2019 campaign end against the Dinos on Saturday.

    While Saturday’s loss in the Hardy Cup is tough to take and provided some learning experiences, the Huskies are still miles ahead of where they were just a short time ago.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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“Dinos jinx” at Griffiths Stadium buried by Huskies

The Huskies enjoy a third quarter touchdown run from Adam Machart.

    The University of Calgary Dinos started the night with some shock and awe.

    On Friday night before 2,931 spectators at Griffiths Stadium, the Dinos had the first possession in a U Sports regular season football clash against the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The visitors swiftly drove 87 yards on six plays culminating in a two-yard touchdown run by short-yardage quarterback Josiah Joseph to jump in front 7-0. 
    U of C drove the ball seemingly at ease, and it appeared the “Dinos jinx” at Griffiths Stadium would continue for the host Huskies.
    U of S countered with a shock and awe drive of its own on the ensuing series. The Huskies drove 80 yards in four plays to score a touchdown that evened things up at 7-7.
    Star running back Adam Machart rolled off a 49-yard run on that series and capped the drive taking a short pass from quarterback Mason Nyhus 11 yards for a major score.

Adam Machart had a monster game for the Huskies.

    From that point, the Huskies, who are rated ninth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, wrestled away control of the contest posting a 29-15 victory to improve their regular season record to 3-2. The win ended with Huskies rush end Riley Pickett sacking Joseph.
    The Dinos, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, suffered their first setback of the campaign falling to 4-1.
    “It is a really good feeling, a confidence booster for us,” said Machart. “It shows we’re here to win.
    “We’re a really good team I think, and it is a good feeling for all of us.”
    Entering Friday’s encounter, the Dinos prevailed in their last six straight visits to Griffiths Stadium. The last time the Huskies prevailed at home over the Dinos came back on Oct. 15, 2010 with a 36-17 triumph.
    The Dinos had won their previous 12 straight regular season encounters entering Friday’s clash. The last time the Dinos dropped a regular season contest came back on Oct. 28, 2017, when they were hammered by the visiting University of Alberta Golden Bears 53-3 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alta.

Nixen Voll makes one of his two interceptions for the Huskies.

    In the post-season, the Huskies beat the Dinos 43-18 in last year’s Canada West Conference final to claim the Hardy Cup at McMahon Stadium.
    Huskies head coach Scott Flory did not read anything extra into the fact his squad ended the Dinos winning streak in the regular season or broke up any other positive runs U of C had.
   “That just goes to show how good a team they are, how well coached they are and how well prepared they are,” said Flory. “They are a good football team.
    “We have a tonne of respect (for the Dinos), and our guys were locked in all week. We just need that on a consistent basis that is all.”
    On the ensuing kickoff after Machart’s touchdown reception, Huskies kicker David Solie booted the ball into the Dinos end zone, where it was downed for a single point to give the host side an 8-7 lead.

Robinson Rodrigues (#33) dives in for a Dinos touchdown.

    The Dinos retook the lead on the final play of the first quarter, when star quarterback Adam Sinagra hit running back Robinson Rodrigues for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the visitors a 14-8 edge.

    In the second quarter, Solie scored a single off a missed field goal from 40 yards out and hit a field goal from 47 yards out to cut the Dinos lead to 14-12.
    With 3:20 remaining before halftime, Nyhus hit fourth-year receiver Yol Piok with a 10-yard touchdown strike to give the Huskies a 19-14 advantage.
    Last Saturday, Nyhus sat out the Huskies 19-17 road loss in Edmonton, Alta., to the University of Alberta Golden Bears due to the fact he was undergoing concussion protocol. The third-year pivot was injured late in the third quarter of the Huskies 44-9 road win over the University of Regina Rams on Sept. 13 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Sask.
    Flory was happy to have Nyhus back in the fold.

Sterling Taylor IV, right, makes an interception for the Dinos.

    “He makes this engine tick,” said Flory. “Him and (Adam) Machart make this offence go.

    “The O-line was doing great. The receivers were making plays down the field, and that is what we need. The defence responded.
    “They adjusted and came out with a great second half and that is what we need.”
    Early in the third quarter, the Huskies had a chance to fatten their lead, but Nyhus had pass into the Dinos end zone intercepted by U of C defensive back Sterling Taylor IV.
    Dinos kicker Joe Cant scored a single on a 32-yard missed field goal to cut the Huskies lead to 19-15 with 3:58 to play in the third quarter.

Mason Nyhus (#8) threw two touchdown passes for the Huskies.

    On the final play of the third quarter, Machart rumbled in for a major score from 11 yards out to give the Huskies a 26-15 edge.

    Solie rounded out the 29-15 final with a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
    “I thought we had a decent game on offence,” said Nyhus. “Our defence played great obviously against a great Calgary offence.

    “We definitely left some points on the board that we should have had. That red zone interception, that can’t happen. I have to either give that to (Colton) Klassen or throw that away.
    “I am disappointed in myself in that, but all in all, I was happy to get the win for sure.”
    Nyhus completed 15-of-32 passes for 233 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Receiver Jesse Kuntz led the Huskies with 98 yards receiving on four catches.
    Machart had a huge game running the ball 23 times for 171 yards to go with his touchdown on the ground. He caught three passes for 35 yards to go with his major score through the air.

Huskies LB Tom Whiting (#47) stands over a fallen Dinos running back.

    Machart said he is ready to step up, when the Huskies need him to be the focus of their offence.

    “I enjoy it,” said Machart. “I love running the football.

    “I love this game. I love my O-line. I love my guys.

    “Whatever I can do to help the cause, I’ll do it.”

    Sinagra, who won the Hec Crighton Trophy as the MVP of U Sports football last season, completed 18-of-27 passes for 287 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He left the game after taking a big hit near the end of the third quarter causing Joseph to finish out the fourth quarter in a relief appearance.

    Joseph completed 10-of-15 passes for 106 yards.

The Huskies faithful sings  “Sweet Caroline.”

    Second-year receiver Jalen Philpot topped the Dinos with seven catches for 143 yards.

    U of C collected 107 yards rushing as a team in the contest.

    Defensive tackle Evan Machibroda had a sack for the Huskies. Second-year defensive back Nixen Voll had a pair of interceptions.

    Max Baatar had a sack for the Dinos, while Grant McDonald and Daniel Teitz split a sack. Deane Leonard had an interception for U of C.

    Huskies third-year linebacker Tom Whiting figured the Dinos were going to enter Friday’s contest all fired up looking to get some payback for what happened in last year’s Canada West final. 

Huskies DL Nathan Cherry (#90) celebrates a stop in the fourth quarter.

    Whiting was pleased with how his side dealt with the Dinos’ intensity.

    “We knew they were coming in here with a chip on their shoulder,” said Whiting, who had eight total tackles for the Huskies. “We just had to play our football, that’s it.

    “We just play week to week. We just worry about the game ahead of us, and we want to go 1-0 on the week.”

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday when they host the University of Manitoba Bisons at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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